ENCINITAS — A child was rescued from underneath a truck on Wednesday evening after the vehicle crashed into a gelato shop at the intersection of Coast Highway 101 and D Street in Encinitas.
A Chevy Silverado, driven by 64-year-old Edward De La Torre, was traveling northbound on South Coast Highway 101 when it rear-ended a Prius and then veered off the roadway. The truck drove onto the patio of the Gelato 101 business at 480 S. Coast Hwy 101 and collided with the building.
A young boy who was inside the building was struck and trapped under the truck, but was freed shortly after by first responders. He was transported to Rady Children’s Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
De La Torre was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The occupants of the Prius did not appear to be injured, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
As of Thursday morning, the Chevy Silverado was still at the site of the collision.
Gelato 101 owner David Arato said they are still awaiting information on the full extent of the damage, but the most important thing is that the boy will survive.
“I want to say that the boy who got hit is going to be fine, miraculously,” Arato said. “We’re still waiting for the police to come to assess the damage, but it’s looking pretty bad. We’re just going to have to pick up the pieces.”
Heather Revens of Dana Point was driving southbound along Coast Highway 101 at the time of the crash and witnessed the collision. She said the truck “plowed” into the Prius before jumping the curb and going straight into the gelato shop.
“This truck did not stop. There were no brakes,” Revens said. “It was the most shattering, crazy sound.”
Revens said the area was very busy with pedestrians at the time, and that multiple people immediately ran to the scene to help.
“It was Encinitas at 6 p.m., so it was packed,” she said.
Maurizio Carbone, owner of Maurizio’s Trattoria Italiana across the street from Gelato 101, was in the area shortly after the crash occurred. He said it’s lucky that this didn’t happen during the summer or on a weekend, when there are even more kids at the gelato shop.
“A crash, it happens, because the intersection is really bad. But this one, I never seen something like that,” Carbone said.
Officials said the truck will stay inside the shop until a structural engineer evaluates the building’s condition and determines whether it’s safe.
